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Canada can make a difference in ending child and forced marriage

By Rosemary McCarneyShalini Konanur

Mon., Sept. 23, 2013

Every September, global leaders descend on New York for an annual rite of passage. They go to mark the ceremonial opening of the United Nations General Assembly. Often characterized by high-level presidential and prime ministerial speeches, the UNGA is also an opportunity for in-the-trenches progress toward making the world a better place. One such opportunity will take place this Wednesday, Sept. 25.

On that day, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird will work to rally support from other countries to tackle an issue whose proper place, really, is in ancient history texts, but sadly continues to plague the world today: the ongoing practice of forcing children, mostly girls, to marry someone against their will.

Clearly, child marriage is morally repugnant and a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that marriage requires “free and full consent.” But the issue goes well beyond human rights. Child marriage is a major impediment to poverty reduction and economic development. Child brides are almost always forced to drop their schooling and, thereby, become unable to contribute to achieving broader social and economic goals.

Enabling girls in developing countries to remain in school longer, on the other hand, would have a positive impact on them as well as the countries they live in. If children, especially girls, remain in school until at least age 15, they not only enhance essential reading and arithmetic knowledge but also learn life skills, including an appreciation of their basic rights and how to assert them.

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As well, those extra years take them through puberty, a time when many girls in the world first confront forced marriages or are shunted away from the classroom to focus on housework and other chores. Indeed, a girl with some secondary education is less likely to marry too young than a girl with only primary education or less.

Eradicating child marriage also has significant health benefits, not only for young brides. The earlier a girl becomes pregnant, the higher the risk of death for both her and her children due to pregnancy and childbirth complications. In developing nations, these complications are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19. And infant deaths are 50 per cent more likely in these cases .

Yet the heinous tradition of child and forced marriage is by no means only a developing world phenomenon. In 2012, as many as 1,485 possible forced marriage cases prompted the attention and resources of the U.K. government’s Forced Marriage Unit which has been tasked with combatting the practice of forced marriage within Britain. There are signs this issue has made its mark in Canada as well.

The South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario (SALCO) has taken steps to determine the extent of forced and child marriage in this country. According to SALCO’s preliminary research, one-quarter of the 219 forced marriage situations it has investigated in Ontario and Quebec over the past three years have involved children under the age of 18. The research further indicated that nearly half (44 per cent) of people identifying as victims of forced marriage situations were Canadian citizens and many of these marriages occurred outside the country, beyond the reach of the Canadian justice system .

There is clearly a need for action, both at the government and community levels, in Canada as well as in the developing world. With Canada’s leadership at the UN we can help to end this destructive practice everywhere in our lifetimes.

For his part, Minister Baird has been outspoken in the fight to end child and forced marriage. We encourage him to continue in that role at this session of the UN. Beyond the UN, Baird could lead a Canadian initiative that includes smart interventions at home and abroad to combat this practice on the ground.

We fully support Canada’s efforts to lead on a UN resolution that would mark an international commitment to end child and forced marriage in all corners of the world. Such a resolution, as part of a broader ministerial initiative that works with communities themselves, would add the moral force of the international body to pressure member states to ban this practice within their borders, regardless of cultural, historic and social traditions.

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Hard to imagine any country daring to vote No.

Rosemary McCarney is president and CEO of Plan Canada. Shalini Konanur is executive director of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario.

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